


Baby's Breath

by Avistella



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Drama, F/M, Fluff, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Second Person, Pre-Canon, Reader Is Not MC, Reader-Insert, Slow Burn, Slow To Update, Spoilers for Zen's past
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-26
Updated: 2017-01-12
Packaged: 2018-09-12 05:44:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9058207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Avistella/pseuds/Avistella
Summary: He was at his lowest, barely getting by, when you walked into his life. And that was when Zen knew: angels really do exist.





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This actually follows the same idea as another Zen reader insert of mine, [Catch Me If You Can](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8824333/chapters/20231752), but whereas CMIYC has explicit sexual content and mature themes, "Baby's Breath" is entirely sfw.  
>  **Fun fact:** Baby's breath, in the language of flowers, can mean many things including: everlasting and undying love; innocence; and reconnecting with lost loves or disconnected family members, just to give you an idea of where this fic might go (;

Zen knew that running away from his home at a young age would be difficult. He was vaguely aware of the consequences and difficulties that came along with his decision, whether impulsive or not, but he didn't think it would be _this_ hard. The rent for the apartment was expensive, even if it was the cheapest option available for Zen at the moment. There were many days when he would go without eating a meal, and there were many nights he spent doing odd jobs just to get by. It was absolutely excruciating and exhausting, but Zen perservered.

Every once in a while, the young man felt like it was all hopeless and that he should just give up, but then he would look up at the stars in the night sky by himself, admiring their brilliance before remembering his dream. His reasons for abandoning everything in the first place. He dreamed of becoming a star that people could look up to and to help them out with his singing and acting in their times of need. Despite his young age, Zen already knew what he wanted to become. He found his passion, and he wasn't going to give up on it so easily.

So, Zen would continue to survive. No matter what life threw at him, Zen vowed to survive, and he would be willing to do _anything_ to do so.

* * *

You knew what you wanted to do with your life. You had your entire path all planned out, knowing what grades you needed for which subjects, and which schools were the best choice for your career path that you decided to pursue. It would be a difficult road that required a lot of your time, effort, and dedication, but you were convinced that you could do it. After all, that was what society expected from you, and you didn't want to fail people's expectations, whether or not you personally knew them.

You were young, but you were optimistic. Or perhaps it was exactly _because_ you were young that you were optimistic. It wasn't like you were alone. Sure, you'll be competing against everyone else to get that certain rank to get into that certain school, but there was no doubt that you'd be able to find at least one companion in your life...right? You might even find love! ...Well, you would cross that bridge when you got there, but for now, you were focused on one thing and one thing only: a successful future.

* * *

Zen knew what it was that he wanted.

You knew what it was that you wanted.

They were different dreams, but upon closer inspection, it was rather similar in aspect. A successful future. A dream job. A happy and fulfilling life. Everything was planned out and ready; it should have been in your grasp—

_But sometimes, things don't always turn out as planned._


	2. Chapter 2

> _White. He never knew that the colour white would bring him so much unease, especially considering it was the colour of his hair and something he always saw, but this white was...different. It brought him a sense of...guilt? Was it guilt? The young man wasn't sure, but he didn't like it. He glanced around the room, eyes combing over the walls, windows, and curtains, before finally landing upon the bed. Carefully, he took one step towards it._

Zen sighed to himself, running a gloved hand through his hair as he walked around the hospital. Haejung had contacted him, saying that one of their friends had gotten himself into an accident. Since the motorcycle gang was all Zen had in his life ever since running away from his home, he felt obligated to visit the guy, even if he might get teased for it for being sentimental. But then again, Zen was still young, so he decided to take it as a compliment for his much desired youth.

The young man bit his lower lip, feeling a bit awkward and out of place, especially with all the stares he was getting. Sure, he was good-looking, but Zen wasn't so oblivious to how scrutinizing some of the stares were; however, he couldn't blame them. He didn't really have that many clothes that would be considered appropriate when visiting a hospital, instead opting for a more "cool" look to match his place in the gang.

Zen sighed again, wondering if he should just leave when he happened a small recreational room. In one of the corners, he saw a bunch of children sitting in front of someone, listening attentively. Zen doesn't really know why, but he couldn't help but stare.

Feeling somebody's gaze on you, you momentarily stopped in your storytelling and looked up to see if you could find the source. Your eyes locked with red ones, and you felt like your breath was pulled out of you. Despite his rough-looking appearance, he was rather gorgeous, and you couldn't help but be trapped in his gaze. That was until you remembered where you were and brought your attention back to the children in front of you, staring curiously as to why you stopped with the story. You flashed them an apologetic smile when you realized the time.

"That's all I have for today," you said, and you were met with a chorus of little whines, prompting you to laugh. "Don't worry, I'll be here at the same time again next week."

The children only whined for a bit more before begrudgingly standing up and moving to other activities, their complaints quickly forgotten as they directed their attention and energy elsewhere. You smiled fondly at them as you stood up from your seat and stretched out your limbs. You heard footsteps approach you, and when you go to look at the owner of them, it was none other than the male you had previously made eye contact with.

Seeing him much closer, you can make out the more smaller details of his appearance, and you find yourself glancing away for a moment to collect yourself as to not say or do something stupid in front of this beauty. Awkwardly, you clear your throat before making eye contact with him again and flash a friendly smile. "Hello. May I help you?"

He smiles at you as he asks, "Hi. I'm sorry, I'm visiting a friend here, and I was wondering if you knew where Room 307 was?"

"Oh, sure thing," you answer him, surprised with yourself on how you were able to actually maintain a conversation when all you wanted to do was stare in awe. "Follow me. I know, this hospital's a bit confusing to navigate through."

The young man laughed as he fell a step behind you when you started to lead him to his destination. "Yeah, you'd think they would have more maps and directions. I'm Hyun, by the way." You turn your head for a moment to reciprocate your name, and Zen repeats it, trying to get a feel for it on his lips. "Cute," he comments.

You shrug. "Thanks, though I really don't think it's that cute-sounding."

"Ah, I meant you," he responds, and your steps falter for a brief second. You hear him laugh from behind you, and though you want to feel annoyed at him for laughing at you, you end up admiring his laugh instead. Zen decides to change the subject and asks, "Are you a volunteer?"

You nod your head, "Yes. I entertain and play with some of the children here for an hour."

Zen offers a hum of understanding. "You're quite the angel."

You're not too sure how to respond to that, so you give a light laugh instead. You turn a corner and point down a hall before turning back to look at Zen. "The room's just down this hall."

"Thanks," Zen smiles appreciatively at you, and you duck your head to hide the blush that threatens to spread across your cheeks. "It was nice meeting you."

"Likewise," you answer mechanically as you go to make your way back. It truly was a pleasure meeting somebody so handsome, and fearing that you would never be able to get another lucky chance like this, you spared a glance back and gave a small jump. Zen was still standing there, watching your retreating figure, and when the two of you connected eyes, he waved.

You hesitantly waved back, finding yourself hoping that you'd be able to see him again.


	3. Chapter 3

Your lips parted to let out another sigh as your eyes stared blankly ahead, watching the pouring rain. You rolled your shoulders, the weight of the shopping bags in your hands getting heavier the longer you stayed under the small protruding roof of the store. It had slipped your mind to check the weather forecast before heading out to buy groceries, and now you were caught in the rain.

While it didn't bother you too much, you were slowly starting to get bored. Your mind started to wander to all sorts of things: your schedule for tomorrow, the things you have to study, your volunteering activities, the really handsome young man you met at the hospital... He was rather charming, you remembered. Perhaps a bit rough-looking, but he was still beautiful nonetheless. You didn't know what to call him; he didn't quite fit the image of a prince or an angel, but you had no doubt that he would if he lost those punk-like clothing. 

You shrugged your shoulders to yourself, thinking you had no right to judge him like that. Just then, you felt somebody tap your shoulder, and you turned around, only to be greeted by the same charming smile you were just thinking of. Your eyes widened in surprise, and your mouth opened to speak, but all that came out was a small gasp, never expecting to see the young man again. If it was a miracle the first time you met someone so ethereal and beautfiful, then what would you call it the second time?

"Hello," Zen greets you with a small chuckle at your expression, eyes carrying an amused glint in them.

"H-Hi," you managed to stutter out, still not sure if you were dreaming or not.

Zen stood in front of you completely drenched, his clothes weighing heavily on him and hair sticking to his skin. Due to the dark clouds, his red eyes and pale skin seemed to glow even more than the last time you saw him. Contrasting the dark clothes he wore, his entire being just seemed like a spot of light.

"Beautiful..."you found yourself breathing out, and you could see Zen's eyes widen the slightest bit. When he seemed to realize that the comment was about himself, his cheeks flushed a slight shade of pink, and his smile seemed to grow by a fraction.

"I know you are, but what am I?" he responded teasily.

"Gorgeous," you answer him with such speed and sincerity that the young man seemed to falter for a bit, almost as though he wasn't expecting such a response.

Zen cleared his throat. "I am, aren't I? ...Fancy meeting you again," he tried to change the subject, and you nodded in agreement as you continued to silently admire him. His skin looked so smooth and soft, you were almost tempted to touch it, but that would be inappropriate, you realized. Just then, Zen seemed to notice the bags in your hands. He nodded his head towards them as he asked, "Out shopping?"

"Hm?" you were pulled out of your thoughts before eventually catching up with his question. "Oh, yeah. I actually finished a while ago, but there was this rain, so now I'm stuck here. What about you?"

"Oh, me?" Zen hummed as he shifted his weight to one foot, running his gloved hand through his hair before allowing them to freely fall down again. "I was just strolling."

You raised a questionin eyebrow. "In this rain?"

Zen shrugged, flashing you a toothy grin. "I like walking in the rain," he answered simply.

At that, your motherly instincts took over, and your eyebrows creased together with concern. "You'll get sick like that," you gently scolded him which seemed to catch the male off guard. Your free hand awkwardly tried to fish through your pockets before taking out a handkerchief and holding it out towards him. "Here. It's not much, but you can dry yourself off with this."

For a moment, Zen just stares at the cloth, a hint of surprise in his expression at your concern towards him. Then, the corner of his lips curved upwards into a small smile as he mumbled out a quiet word of thanks. He accepted the handkerchief, his fingers accidentally brushing against yours when he took it from your hands.

Your eyes watch him closely as he tries to dry himself off as best he could with the small cloth when you hear a familiar voice call your name. Your head instinctively turn towards the owner of the voice, and a wide smile spreads across your face when you see your friend. "Ha-Jun!" you greet the tall male as he walks up towards you with an umbrella in hand. " _Please_ tell me you're willing to share that umbrella, you oh so wonderful and dashing young man."

Ha-Jun laughs, his cheeks blushing, "Flattery will get you everywhere with me. Of course I will."

You sigh in relief, thankful to finally get moving again since you still had work to do. "Thank you, you're the best."

The young man then notices the bags in your hand, and he reaches for them, grabbing your hand in the process. "Here, I'll carry these for you."

You graciously accept before turning back to Zen who was momentarily forgotten until now. You give him a parting smile as you get ready to leave with Ha-Jun. "Thanks for keeping me company," you beamed. "And make sure you take a warm shower and dry yourself off properly; otherwise, you'll get sick."

With one small final wave, you turn on your heel and leave with your shoulder brushing against Ha-Jun's as the two of you try to squeeze together underneath the umbrella, chatting and laughing. From behind you, Zen only watches your retreating form in silence before his eyes glance down to the cloth in his hand. A small sound of realization escapes his lips, and when he looks up again, you're already gone.

Not knowing what else to do, the young man turns and starts walking in the opposite direction where his apartment is. As soon as Zen arrives home, the familiar scent of cigarette smoke filling his nostrils, the first thing he does is shrug off his leather jacket and slip off his shoes. He starts stripping himself bare as he walks further into the apartment, haphazardly throwing the articles of clothing onto the floor, abandoning them for later.

The young man makes sure to put your handkerchief somewhere safe for the meantime. By the time Zen reaches his bedroom to retrieve a new set of clothes to change into, he's already stripped all the way down to his underwear before heading to the washroom to properly follow your order for him to take a warm shower. The young man allows the water to adjust for a moment as he takes of his hair tie to let loose his hair and then steps inside.

As he's showering, Zen's mind can't help but wander back to you. It's the same as when he first met you at the hospital while you were volunteering. Somehow, it just seemed like his attention was only focused on you and the gentle warmth you seemed to emit. The young man softly groaned as he lightly tapped his head against the wall. He was being creepy. No matter how you looked at it, everything about it was just creepy.

You didn't seem to mind, however. If anything, you almost easily already accepted him into your life even though he was still a complete stranger to you. Zen almost thought of you as a fool for being so trusting. Even if he did have good looks, you shouldn't just go around trusting people like that, especially males like him. That's what he thought, but at the same, he also found it rather endearing and cute, and a part of his mind was practically screaming at himself to protect you and that purity.

Zen doesn't take too long in the shower and quickly dries himself off. He slips on the clean set of clothes before walking back to the living room, feeling completely refreshed. His eyes land upon the borrowed handkerchief, and without a second thought, makes his way over to it and picks it up. It's incredibly soft to the touch, and Zen can't help but wonder if your skin felt just as soft and silky before shaking those thoughts away.

"Stop being so creepy..." he chides himself as he continues to enjoy the feel of the fabric. ...Still, this handkerchief wasn't his, and a wolfish smile slowly comes across his lips at the excuse to meet you again and possibly get to know you more. Maybe then, he wouldn't feel so ashamed of himself and his overflowing thoughts of you.


End file.
